The Presidential Election Presidential Court, Abuja, on Monday, adjourned the petitions of the Action Peoples Party and the Labour Party to Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
The parties are challenging the emergence of Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressive Congress as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
In the petition marked CA/ABJ/PEPC/02/2022, the APP is challenging the results of the presidential election on the grounds of irregularities, including alleged mutilation of election results.
Furthermore, the APP, which is the only applicant in the petition, is also challenging Tinubu’s victory on the grounds that “the first respondent was not qualified to stand for the said election having knowingly supplied false information”, including the alleged falsification of age and educational qualifications.
It also stated that “the first respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election.”
The party also alleged corrupt practices by the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and voter inducement, among others, which, according to the APP, affected the outcome of the elections adding that the election was characterised by “monumental vote buying”
According to the party, “the overvoting took place under the watchful eyes of agents of the third respondent.”
For the respondents, Wole Olanipekun announced appearance for Bola Tinubu; Lateef Fagbemi for the APC; and Abubakar Mahmoud for INEC.
Following, Fagbemi, the APC’s counsel, informed the court of his preliminary objection to the APP’s petition and INEC’s lawyer, Mahmoud, informed the court of his client’s pending applications in response to the APP’s petition
Consequently, the court adjourned the APP’s petition until Wednesday, May 10, for continuation of the hearing.
After the adjournment of the APP’s petition to Wednesday, by noon, the petition by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, were called up.
Parties announced their appearances after Obi, who is the first petitioner in the case, introduced himself.
